First Day of Spring, 2012

This may be a good year to take advantage of the mostly dry and warm weather while keeping a skeptical eye on the horizon.

The soil is warming up more quickly because there is not as much water in it. In combination with fairly mild temperatures, some seeds can be sown a bit earlier this year.

Here is the warning: just as we have a bit of an early start, we could just as easily see some later cold temperatures and storms that could pound tender plants.

My approach this spring is to start planting early . . . Some lettuce has already been in pots for a couple of weeks, some pac choy in the ground about that long as well. These are spots I should be able to protect, given enough warning ahead of time, by moving the pots or placing row covers over the beds.

See if you can set up a storm shelter system for at least some of your plants. It could really help.

Rain barrels are a good idea, storing excess water from roofs so that you can save on your electricity or water bill when (usually not "if") dry spells require extra watering. Remember to either place screen over the barrel openings, or add small fish (I find comets and rosy red minnows help out) or mosquito dunks to eliminate mosquito larvae.